DANVERS, Mass. – No. 18 Southern New Hampshire University and Merrimack College split a Northeast-10 softball doubleheader at Great Oak Elementary School Saturday, with the Penmen blanking the Warriors 7-0 in the opener before the hosts took a 3-2 win in the nightcap.  The Penmen are now 15-4 and 4-1 in the NE-10, while the Warriors are 10-16 and 4-4 in the league.

In the opener, Mo Hannan (Scarborough, Maine) finished 2-3 at the plate with two RBI, while Ali Maloof (Norwood, Mass.), Lindsey Bolduc (Londonderry, N.H.) and Holly Eicher (Stoneham, Mass.) all finished with two hits apiece as the Penmen outhit the Warriors 11-2.

Maloof improved to 9-0 in nine appearances in the circle, striking out 12 and walking one in her complete-game effort.

Southern New Hampshire broke open a scoreless game with two runs in the fourth, four in the fifth and one in the sixth.  In the fourth, Bolduc got the Penmen on the board when she scored on a double by Erin Morrissey (Commack, N.Y.), while Morrissey scored on a single by Jessica Torsiello (Morris Plains, N.J.).

In the fifth, Hannan opened the scoring with her single plating Eicher.  Hannan scored on a base hit by Katie Caruso (Newton, Mass.) while a Bolduc double scored Caruso.  Bolduc made it 6-0 when Morrissey reached on an error.  Hannan singled in the sixth to plate Skyler Shugrue (Worcester, Mass.).

In the nightcap, SNHU took a 1-0 lead in the second when Eicher drove in Morrissey on a single to right.  Merrimack scored three times in the third, but SNHU got a run back in the fourth when Torsiello scored on a bunt by Brittany Perdigao (Stoughton, Mass.).

SNHU outhit Merrimack 10-3 in the nightcap but stranded 10 runners as Torsiello and Eicher had two hits apiece.  Nicole Gubellini (Salem, N.H.) took the loss for SNHU, allowing three hits and three runs (two earned) while fanning five in six innings.

Southern New Hampshire returns to action Sunday when it travels to Saint Anselm College for a noon twinbill.

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